No Drop Bottles for 30M+

[Blackcrusader]

I've never seen a "drop bottle" in person. In Florida, Cozumel, Roatan they aren't used. At least they aren't used for recreational diving (45m and less) in those locations. I thought they were generally only used for planned deco technical dives.

Well Deco dives on air are still recreational dives and were when I was doing them in the 1980' 1990s etc.
Just because a dive is deco does not make it technical does it?

 

[David Novo]

Well Deco dives on air are still recreational dives and were when I was doing them in the 1980' 1990s etc.
Just because a dive is deco does not make it technical does it?

Depends on the agency.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I believe (but I'm not certain) that Olympus and Discovery in Morehead City drop an emergency air 2nd stage on a long hose attached to their Carolina Rig at 20'. That is the only recollection I have of a "hang tank" outside of my PADI Deep Diver specialty. We certainly didn't use them in my technical training (TDI AN, DP, Trimix).

 

[boulderjohn]

There are instruction instances where a stage bottle is required at the safety stop. In particular if there is a Divemaster Candidate along for the course and they themselves are being graded then they are required to place the bottle there as part of their course.

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I believe (but I'm not certain) that Olympus and Discovery in Morehead City drop an emergency air 2nd stage on a long hose attached to their Carolina Rig at 20'. That is the only recollection I have of a "hang tank" outside of my PADI Deep Diver specialty. We certainly didn't use them in my technical training (TDI AN, DP, Trimix).

The PADI requirements, both DM and Deep Diver, are only to teach the students how to put such a bottle in place in case one is to be used. It is not otherwise required on the dives.

 

[Coztick]

When diving deep or diving with a new buddy, carrying a second smaller tank, refered to as a "pony", is my recommendation.
It's not something you need another certification for. Do some reading here and consult your instructor if all isn't crystal clear.
My wife doesn't dive, so when vacation diving, I'm diving with different people.
Often they display no regard for the buddy system even if they say they will before the dive.
I have shared amazing dives with wonderful and attentive partners but that's not the norm.
Having an independent alternate gas source with you doesn't prevent you from being a good buddy but it can be very comforting when your new buddy shows no intention or maybe lacks the ability to be a decent buddy.
You are essentially a solo diver at that point. Sure, you can just surface from 35m. You're comfortable with not breathing for a 90 second accent, right?
Not me.
My emergency gas is on a short bungee necklace, 6 inches from my piehole. The tank is clipped to my left side and isn't really noticeable during a dive.
I went with a 13cu ft. It's small enough to fit in a carryon for travel and large enough to provide enough gas for a couple minutes at depth, a slow accent and a safety stop. It goes on every dive, regardless of depth or who I'm with.
I had about the same number of dives as you do now when I added it and switched to sidemount, but that's another topic all together.

Dive safe, dive comfortable!

 

[bakodiver391]

Hang tanks are more of a backup in case of regulator failure and not a crutch for poor gas planning. Useful in some particular scenarios but certainly not all boat dives.

 

[kelemvor]

Well Deco dives on air are still recreational dives and were when I was doing them in the 1980' 1990s etc.
Just because a dive is deco does not make it technical does it?

I guess a lot of people would just call that "light deco" or something and treat it as a rec dive. I didn't mean to make such a fine distinction.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I believe (but I'm not certain) that Olympus and Discovery in Morehead City drop an emergency air 2nd stage on a long hose attached to their Carolina Rig at 20'. That is the only recollection I have of a "hang tank" outside of my PADI Deep Diver specialty. We certainly didn't use them in my technical training (TDI AN, DP, Trimix).

I believe I recall seeing the hang tank in Morehead City, as well as Utila. I can see the argument against it being the possibility of emboldening divers to run their air down lower than they otherwise would have.

 

[60plus]

I am fairly certain that in SSI deep diver training that the instructor has to carry (not leave hung) an alternate independent air source. The reason recreation diving is defined as being restricted to 35 or 40 m is because you can ascend to the surface from those depths without a stop, or having run out of air if you have to. It wont necessarily cause DCI but increases the risk and it would be advisable to breathe oxygen and take the rest of the day off diving is you have had to make such an ascent.

 

[AdivingBel]

I've seen enough SS tanks hung on rec dive boats in FL and the Caribbean to not be surprised when I see them. Sometimes it's just a 2nd dropped on a long hose with the tank staying on the boat. They will also hang a chain/line next to it so there is something to hold on to. Very rarely see them used.